Melon Caprese Skewers with Herb Oil

I’ve been running my mouth about “summer” since the middle of May. Which was technically incorrect. Because up until yesterday, it wasn’t actually, really, officially summer. But now IT IS. Hooray!

Please excuse my previous inaccuracies.

Now that it’s actually, really, officially summer, I think we should be eating as many caprese salads as possible. Or at least some variation of a caprese salad. Like these Melon Caprese Skewers with Herb Oil.

Also, we should put as many foods as possible on sticks. Because food on a stick trumps food not on a stick. That’s a fact. The proof is in the popsicles. See what I did there?

Moving on.

This is one of those recipes that isn’t really a recipe. Just ball up some melons and cucumbers, then thread them on skewers with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. The only thing you really need a recipe for here (or maybe you don’t) is the herbed oil. Which, by the way, is awesome drizzled on all sorts of things.

Question. Does anyone else find “balling” foods to be supremely satisfying? Or am I just a total weirdo?

These Melon Caprese Skewers would be awesome for a 4th of July party. If you try them out, let me know about it!

Cheers,

Liz

Melon Caprese Skewers with Herb Oil

Ingredients

For the Herb Oil

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed

For the Skewers

Watermelon

Honeydew

Cantaloupe

Cucumber

Fresh ciliegine mozzarella balls, drained

Fresh basil leaves

Wooden skewers

Instructions

Make the herb oil. In your food processor with the blade attachment, process all of the ingredients together until the herbs are finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and bring it to a low simmer for about 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down to remove as much oil as possible, collecting and reserving the oil. The oil should be a light-medium green color. Set aside to cool.

Make the skewers. Using a melon baller, scoop out equal amounts of watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe and cucumber flesh. Then assemble the skewers by threading on one ball of each melon, one cucumber ball, one mozzarella ball and a couple of basil leaves, as shown in the images above. Continue until you have assembled the desired number of skewers. At this point, the skewers can be stored in your refrigerator for several hours before serving.

To serve, place the skewers on a serving tray or plate. Drizzle with some of the herb oil. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Any leftover herb oil can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for several days.

56 comments on “Melon Caprese Skewers with Herb Oil”

Haha I love “balling” food too! And I think it’s definitely needed for these skewers. This looks fantastic, Liz! I love that you made a melon caprese flavor. Can’t get enough of anything filled with caprese! Yum!

I LOVE balling foods! Is that weird? Whatever. To my crazy brain, balled foods on a stick just look so perfect, since they are all symmetrical and straight. SO pumped for all things skewer and summmaaa!

I cannot imagine anything more satisfying on a hot day. These sound SO refreshing! Ball everything. And I love the fresh basil with watermelon… yum. Also looking forward to eating your herbed oil with bread… lots of bread!

I can’t remember the last time I tried balling food and I’m feeling a bit behind the times here. I’m loving your balls though – they are so colorful and festive! Food on a stick is perfect for a party because it frees up your other hand to hold the booze! 🙂

There are two gay Djs with a morning show in SF, and they have this segment called “Sassy Sports.” Their tag line is “If we’re talking about balls, I’m allll over it.” Love that tag line as much as I love these balls!

Balling food and THEN putting it on a stick?! Satisfying AND genius! ♡ love your spin on caprese… and I agree we should all be eating a variation of caprese all summer long. Starting with these! Cheers, pretty lady!

Okay, 1. these look so amazing. So light and refreshing!!! 2. I saw your post on FB yesterday about all the “ball” comments, but I am just now getting around to reading your actual post….and I must say…my favorite is “your balls looks juicy and wonderful” hahaha I mean, I’m sorry, I’m 5. But anyways, you should definitely do more posts with balls on a stick:) hahahhaa!